Machinations of the Malicious
Whisking away the dust and dirt off the old book, a small dusk cloud lingered in the air, before it dispersed into the neat air. A gloved hand stroke the old page with care as it had been the ideals it had taught the shadow figure when he was younger. It was the home of this persona whom now looks away from the scribbles and watched the darkness sobering away, with the rising sun coming forth, and the waning fainting moon watching over the masked. “I had heard the rumors.” The masked was startled by the man’s elderly voice. “But I could not believe them before I witnessed you with my own old eyes.” He chuckled nervously as the creature faced him directly still silent. “How many years has it been?” No answer. The man’s expression saddened even more than it already was, his wrinkles deepened, and his eyes stared hopelessly into the shadowy holes that dimmed a soft crimson. “I-I want to apologize, Yu—.” “Whoever you think I am, I am not.” The thickly disoriented voice of the masked creature wavered into the now shadowed ruined temple. “But I must praise that an old man of Yoru dares to approach a member of Sorane, one that truly despises this land,” assumingly to most his tone wavered into a madder one. His maniacally laughter barked forth, “I’ve business to attend to and for your interest my name is Shihakushi.” The shadowy figure now known as Shihakushi paced forth towards the gate, which is remarkably still intact, however. He halted next to the elder man and whispered darkly into the man’s ear, “The next time we meet I’ll severe your soul and feed it to the dead.” But before the old man could answer to the threat the masked was no longer around. Now away from the ruined temple, Shihakushi breathed uneasily, and the memory replied in its mind. The man… so familiar… too familiar, he knew too much, and he should’ve died there and then. But the masked then remembered the treaty between Sorane and the land of Night; which Shihakushi could not risk to be terminated. “Head to the base at the coastline. The members will be there at early dawn, I expect that you will be there as well on time,” is what the woman, Tsuzura, had told him personally days ago. It was the only hideout that was the closest from the harbor whereas the recruited members would arrive of. Shihakushi’s cloud mind cleared up and the last part replayed in its mind, “I guess I’ll get scolded.” Shadows Gather Casually making his way down the beach, towards the indicated base, Takashi takes his time to look out over the rippling water that extends into eternity. The time until dawn was short, but the sunrise's ethereal glow had yet to illuminate the heavens. Continuing along the sand, his cloak silently sweeping over surface, he spots a cave formed by the sea itself. Stepping out upon the water he follows the path that buries itself into the coastal cliff. Quickly the shinobi is consumed in absolute darkness, except for a small light flickering some distance before him. Carrying on, steadfast through the cavern, he arrives at the a broken mirror fastened to the stone wall reflecting the moonlight pouring in above from a small crevice. Moving past the mirror, and back onto dry land, Takashi makes through a short passage before exiting into a wide room within the cave. The smell of salt and burnt wood filled the hall, especially fitting for such a meeting place. In the middle of the room sat a large table, lit up by flames of several torches flanking the walls. "Someone has been here recently," Takashi thinks to himself, as he gazes over the empty cavern, "I suppose whoever it was needed to prepare the location for this morning." Studying the room, he spies a passage opposite of where he entered that appears to lead to the rest of the base, "Perhaps some are already here." Rather than sitting down at the table alone, he leans up against the wall closest to his entrance, patiently waiting for the arrival of his comrades. Your eyes can comprehend anything, my little Asami. Those words echoed throughout her playful, devious mind, creating a very seductive, mischievous persona. More of all, these words did a little more than establish a seductive person, but has erected a very cautious and observant kunoichi who seeks knowledge, a kunoichi who seeks to strengthen the comprehensive prowess of her . Her father, despite his encouraging words which radiated themselves throughout her mind and infused themselves into every aspect of her being, he considered his eyes as a curse, which she had managed to transmute into a wonderful gift. These eyes, without a doubt, was the reason why she here. Why she was still alive. Why she was now running a trial to enter the organization, Sorane. She walked onto an open beach, her next destination according to the map that she was supplied with. This was supposed to be the last trial that she had to run, but the other ones weren’t exactly easy to complete either. This being the last caused more nervousness than actual relief. Using the power of her eyes, Asami looked up at the world which was barely illuminated by the red, rising spear of flames which elegantly lit the world with its ray of life. In all of this however, Asami spotted a florescent trail of blue chakra, which led towards the exact same place that she was supposed to go to. Perhaps this was the last trial, meeting the one responsible for this. In an act of excitement, Asami began following the trail of chakra in a quick manner. It was probably for the best. After all, she was on open ground with little protection. Following the trail, she inevitably came upon a large cavern on the side of the coastline. “Well, I guess this is the way…”, she muttered with a sigh, obviously in a whining tone. Picking up her left foot and then her right, she slowly walked into the dark cavern. Nothing could be seen. Even with her eyes. The only thing visible was the trail of chakra that was lingering in the area, but even then she could barely see it. It didn’t light up much without the sun lighting up the world. It did make sense, but she wished that it was a candle or something around. That way, she wouldn’t continue feeling so blind. Dammit! Where is this place, already!?, Asami thought to herself, forming an irritated look upon her visage. She was too caught up in her thoughts, supported by the fact that she didn’t see the rock right in front of her. Asami fell, but she managed to catch herself midway and land on her knees. It didn’t hurt too much, but she was inevitably irritated by the fact. Why did they initate a task such as this? Who orders someone to walk blindly through a cavern during dawn? She was more of all, sleepy, extremely sleepy, but she had to get this done. In an act of anger, she burst down the cavern and ended up in a room lit by multiple candles. “LIGHT!”, she shrieked, smiling as she looked across the room, spotting another human being wrapped in a cloak. This had to be the person who tasked her with these trials. “So, I guess you’re the one I’m supposed to meet with, hm?”, Asami questioned, staring intensely at the person. Her eyes were focused on his being. She could see right through that cloak. It was a man, but he didn’t look much like a challenge. His chakra wasn’t anything to brag about, neither was his physical condition. He looked like a normal man. Could it be that she was stronger than the leader? No, it couldn’t be. The leader was always supposed to be the strongest, right? "Well, well, well isn't this interesting" Aki thought to himself as he walked down down a dirt path. He raised his nose to air and took a big whiff "Ahh.....what a wonderful smell. Smells like water.....but it's missing something, we wonder what it is?" he said relatively loud as he continued to walk down the path. Upon traveling for a while, he came across a rather unique scene which caused him to stop in his tracks. "Hmm, what should Akihisa do about this. I could just sit and watch or deal with it" he thought to himself as he continued to watch the scene unfold, after a few moments of watching he began to walk toward it "well little guy, did you need some help?". He waited for a few moments "well I guess not, I will be going then" he said as he began to walk away continuing along the path toward the beach. Several minutes had passed since he left the scene from before "I wonder if that little guy is alright" he said with a sigh as he reached the beach "oh well, we are here now" he said with a smile as he walked along the edge of the beach, the waves gently hitting his feet "ah I love places like this. Too bad we can sight see....well maybe after this meeting". He looked around and see a cave in the distance "I'm guessing that is the place." He walked toward the cave and paused for a few moments, he took a sniff of the air "it seems like others have arrived" he said with a smile as he walked into the cave. He eventually reached the inner sanctum, and could see two others. He stared at them for a few moments not saying anything. " Boy, boy, this is going to take a while.." a young man though to himself as he walked through the sand and rippling water on the beach. His steps became bolder as he began walking on water, "Damn,...why do I forget that I can walk on water?" he questioned himself as he continued to walk. On noticing, the sun had already rose, it's lights pierced through the fleecy cloud and was casting a pale light over him, "Great, just great, now it's starting to get hot!" he complained. Continuing to walk, he finally reached dry land when he removed his cloak to reveal his face. He easily spotted the cave near the coast line, he could sense the presence of one of his colleagues through what he stated as that technique. "Talk about darkness, I know we are darkness but at least they could have arranged some lights here", said Ryūken as he found it difficult to see in the absolute darkness as he continued to walk down the dark path, he noticed a small light flickering some distance before him. As he carries on, he comes across a short passage before exiting into a wide room within the cave. The traces of chakra got stronger with every step, Ryūken plodded valorously. As he approached, he noticed the large table and a man leaning against the wall. He quickly analyzes the man, and concludes him to be the source of the chakra he was tracing. Further, he could sense the man's natural affinity for wind, just like him which amused him at first. He decided to approach the man, when he sensed the presence of others. Perhaps, the other members had arrived. According to his senses, there were three other members excluding him. He began analyzing other members carefully. "Complete darkness, eh? Not that I'm surprised...look what I decide to use as my Chakra nature." A snickering man thought to himself as the water brushed against his feet, creating a sound of peace, a sound that he had no emotional attachment to. "I suppose a normal person would say this is nice climate?" He wondered out loud, as he approached the unusual cave-like structure that formed in front of him. "Well, aren't we a secretive bunch?" He began to walk inside it. As if the day had been converted into the blackest skies, if not darker; Tōya was pressed against a boundless chasm of what appeared to be nothingness. He relished the thought, and pressed onward. He took an aloof, almost impish manner of walking across his obstacles; as his acrobatic skill helped him to evade the majority of the easier-to-pinpoint obstacles. And then came the traps. Oh the traps. Deflecting them as quickly as they approached him; Tōya quickly found himself secluded in a portion of darkness with two lights glimmering at both horizons. His sense of direction was lost, and all he could rely on were his physical senses and ability to navigate chakra. So he pressed onward, sensing flickering, windy presences before him. After a long, hard walk, filled with dirt and the like, Tōya appeared to notice a small lantern. Rather relieved, his grin hadn't left him even once; and he appeared to notice a number of faces. "It appears...I am here." Tōya thought, as he continued forward to greet his new acquaintances. A middle aged man, with steel-colored rectangular glasses, stood at the shore of the beach and gazed forward, covered almost completely in his cloak. It was finally time for the meeting, and he was determined to make his mark. Grasping his walking cane, he walked calmly through the darkness that surrounded him. His face was etched with serenity and complete pride in his bearings. It had been a long time since he had out himself in action for anything, and he was more than relieved to see that this meeting would take more than just a leisurely stroll on the beach. He had noticed that complete darkness that enveloped the surrounding area almost too fast, but he was more than prepared to create his way through. Otoshi noticed that he was surrounded by mutliple sunrises and the world became one blank plane, with nothing to find as bearing. He also noticed that his sense of direction had started to hamper and he was possibly either truly getting old, or he was caught in a genjutsu of sorts. Closing his eyes, he decided not to trust his sight or sense of direction, but rather his hearing and instincts. He jumped high into the air as two razor-sharp wire strings threatened to rend him in half. He knew that time was of the essence, and he continually bounded over and evaded many obstacles as he continued his path. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, the elder man thought, already finding the prospect of the his ground exciting. He noticed four chakra signatures and some dim lights in a cave not so far from his location. Grunting in approval, he continued forward before he heard a sharp snap, followed by a possibly heavy object falling his way. In a flash of steel, he whipped his cane into and through the through the obstacle, splitting it in two. He then grabbed the upper half of it and simply tossed it aside. Finally reaching where his four new companions were, he simply walked over to them and crossed his arms, giving each and every person there a quick look-over. They had each seemed to have survived these trials unharmed, so they were proficient travellers. He finally looked back to see that his final obstacle was a tree before he produced a small white book out of his pocket and begun to read in silence. Another traveler in a black cloak stood in front of the cavern's entrance, exhaling slowly. He did not especially like caves; he had nothing really against them, just that Iwa ninja liked to use them as traps. As he stepped inside the cave, he was bemused to note how suddenly total darkness fell. Despite his excellent night vision, he could discern next to nothing. Attempting to extend his senses, he found the way he had come to no longer be right behind him. He did not like darkness; his experiences with being able to see things other humans couldn't left him with a fear of total blindness. Deciding to light up his path, he summoned a through his Tsukumogami technique. Altering the tunnel as he progressed to remove traps from contention, he left a trail of sand in his wake as he approached the chakra signatures he could dimly sense. Emerging into a dimly lit room, he gave each of the others a cold glance, attempting to size them up, searching for Iwa or Suna ninja. He winced slightly as the Inugami within his head made its presence known. Unbeknownst to the motley group of shinobi congregated in the cavern situated upon the coastline, a woman, as elegant as she was inscrutable, was observing their every move in much the same fashion as a predator might scrutinize the activity of its prey. The gathered ninja could not have done but remain oblivious to this fact, however, for the woman’s body, at that particular instant in time, existed only as disparate molecules of water scattered haphazardly throughout the cavern in all their aqueous, imperceptible glory. Had Tsuzura assumed a more corporeal existence, one might have discerned from the manner in which her eyes would have narrowed and her perfectly contoured lips would have curled ever so slightly upwards, that she regarded the people for whom she had sent with a degree of haughtiness. Tsuzura Sayanaga was not predisposed to arrogance, feeling that she was intrinsically superior to those around her, but she could not help but entertain the notion that the ninja gathered around her were merely tools to do her bidding, devoid of the inherent right of self-determination with which all sentient entities are endowed. It was a notion to which Tsuzura clung fiercely, for it offered a measure of justification for the trials of horror to which she would subject them and the acts of unspeakable iniquity that she would have them commit. It would be easier to consign the ninja to the realm of inanimate, unfeeling objects. There would be no blood on Tsuzura’s conscience if she so did. Tsuzura surveyed each and every one of the people that had convened in her place of hiding, her powers acute mental discernment allowing her to form, from the clothes in which they were dressed and the subtle movements which they made, deductions about their personalities that were as accurate as they were insightful. Tsuzura then decided it would be best to reveal herself to her charges; there would be time enough for playing detective later. A soft hissing sound resonated throughout the cavern and the air became humid with the moisture from Tsuzura’s technique as her body began to coalesce into its usual form. Tiny droplets of water promptly fused with one another to create a twisting ribbon of mist which dispersed light in a fashion reminiscent of a rainbow. Above this, Tsuzura’s head formed, creating the peculiar and eerie illusion that she was a decapitated phantom. This illusion, however, lasted for merely a second or two, as the remainder of the water coalesced into flesh and sinew and bone. Her transformation complete, Tsuzura’s eyebrows slanted into a frown that would have made even the most stoic of men quail as she turned her gaze on Shihakushi. “You’re late,” she said, two words which were as poignant as they were plain. Harmless blue cold flames licked the cavy ground. Crimson peered into the darkness that did not improve the vision that the night provided. But he did not need sight to passage this particular trial, thus he began his steps to enter the cave, with the whispers of the unheard, however. It is wondrous that the approaching dark, malicious aura went still unnoticed. Only the daughter of Ranmaru could see through his layered realm and the lady could’ve figured it through the connection they shared… for now. It did not mean that the soon-to-be- comrades would not feel the familiar chakra signature closing in. The whispers of the unheard deafened down. Water collided against the solid ground and splashed up into the air. The masked formed a streak of uncommon hand seals; summoning a dozen of reddish luminous orbs. The cave was fairly enlightened and encouraged the masked to continue its path. Forcing another, more common, signature Shihakushi concentrated the chakra into his feet; water walking. With this he knew that the lady would truly be alerted for his near arrival. Orbs still illuminating the area with their red glow, Shihakushi performed the release signature, and the orbs silently dispersed around him. The true ambition of these orbs remained unknown to all. Greeted with mishap, Shihakushi heartily honored Tsuzura with nothing but a respectful bow, “My excuses, Lady Tsuzura. I explored the lands and had forgotten the time to be present for the meeting. But I assume it has not begun yet,” Shihakushi answered, with a thick layered voice, even sounding disoriented. However, he left out the detail of the temple and the local of Yoru… one whom knew about his past. "Quite the collection of shinobi has been gathered," Takashi thinks to himself as he carefully surveys the individuals around him. "The group has successfully collected nearly all of the basic elemental natures, and couple of kekkei genkai, a few with particularly abnormal sources of chakra." Looking upon the masked character, the final arrival and the icing on the cake of this carnival of freaks, a short-lived smirk crosses his face. With the arrivals seemingly wrapped up, the meeting would sure begin momentarily. Rather that hasten this fact, Takashi merely waited for the event to begin as he lowered his head. Ranmaru red eyes flickered into life after viewing Shihakushi. Her heart trembled and her face turned pale as a white flush, as as if some one had dripped pink lemonade on an ivory colored carpet. "So, dead", she thought to herself without even attempting to further enter any aspect of this masked creature. His chakra was simply....odd, evil, dark. She couldn't describe it herself. Who was this guy? No, she didn't even care to find out. She didn't want anything to do with this guy. She had to make it seem like she was okay, she had to act brave in front of all of these people, completely disregarding her terrified nature. She had to change her attitude.. Placing her sunglasses onto her eyes, which she normally kept with her to mask her bright, red eyes, Asami smirked. "So, I assume that this is the friendly trial, right? You know, the trial where we don't have to do stupid stuff to prove our skills. Counting from the looks of it, I say that this is the group that we have now. Anyway, why did you call us here? What is the purpose of this? I'm giving a few seconds to explain or else, I'm out of here", the purple-haired woman said in a demanding, but not authoritative tone. Asami had learned how to use certain tones to get what she wanted, especially answers. That was always her top priority. Tōya remembered the masked man from their brief meeting prior to this gathering. Unlike the female compatriot who had been briefly astonished, Tōya had retained a sense of composure. Looking at the strange man briefly, he understood nothing about him, and yet felt content that he didn't either. "My my lady. Haven't you ever heard to keep your questions to a minimum? Curiosity kills the cat after all~" Tōya giggled, before looking around him. The men and women who had gathered here were all unique, powerful, and most of all...had been through the same trials as him. It appeared he would have a great time from now on. "Well, now isn't that a spectacular way of entering a location" Akihisa said in a playful tone "we may have to use that for our next party trick" he continued as a small smile formed on his face. He looked at the man with the weird mask for a few moments "Ah.....Mask.....yes that is what I will call you from now on". He stated before looking at the other members "Hmm so many people. What should I call them" he though to himself as a more serious look form on his face. Category:Torment's Hell